Bear's Butt... Adventures in Parenting?

At the risk of completely humiliating our sweet dog, I feel compelled to tell the story of when Bear's butt ruptured. Okay, it was his anal glands... but still.

Evan and I were home on a Friday night, watching TV and taking it easy, when we noticed Bear seemed to be hopped up on something. He was frantic, couldn't sit down, and was licking EVERYTHING. (More so than he usually does... I know, that means it was A LOT.)

It was when we went to bed though that scared us. Bear had climbed onto his bed (I know, the new one) and Evan saw blood on it. So we took the dog into the bathroom -- I held his head, Evan peering into his rear -- and it was then, I knew our love was the real thing. I mean, we spent Friday night examining our dog's butt. His gross, something-is-wrong-with-me one.

So that night was a long one. Bear couldn't sleep, neither could I. So first thing Saturday morning we took him in to our wonderful vet. She informed us Bear's anal gland ruptured, and he'd need to spend the weekend with her for surgery.

It was so lonely! And I hated having to pick up everything I dropped while making dinner. Bear's the best kitchen helper. So I couldn't wait until we picked him up on Monday! But then...... we met the cone.

This is right when we got home. He seems pretty okay with his new accessory for now.

Although he knows something's up when Mom and Dad keep taking pictures of him.

Eating seemed to be his biggest challenge -- but it made for some comedic relief for us.

But after a few days -- this face started to break my heart. Somehow you just can't take a dog stuck in a cone seriously. Especially when he's begging to come back inside.

The worst part about this adventure, as many of you likely know, is that the cone itself smells so bad. It's like a smell radar -- he points that thing at you, and it zeroes in on your nostrils and makes you relish in the wretch. So we were DELIGHTED to take Bear back to the vet a week later and rid our house of that thing.

And don't you know, Bear is much happier with a bath and a new bandana. He's so GQ.

So that was an interesting, unexpected adventure. We're not big fans of the vet bill, but we certainly like when our dog feels ripe and ready to chase the garbage man in our backyard. And then use the bathroom free of any rupturing.

I know, gross.

Our family is healthy again! Cheers to that!